Here we are....finally made it north of the Arctic Circle. Was wonderful...and not at all what I expected.
Kalhabuk chapel in Wiseman, Ak; about 3 miles off of the Dalton Hwy. All of the buildings in this little town are from the gold rush era
This is how the perfectly dressed person needs to atire themselves in defense against the blood-thirsty and swarming mosquitos in this part of the world. We were all set for anything with our thermo-cells on our arms and nets on our heads. These mosquitos are MAN-EATERS!
We can't go further north....we're here. 
Here's a photo of the pipeline. It's above ground in places, then it seems to be underground uder all of the rivers.
These pictures certainly are so out of order, but I don't have time to mess around when I get internet access....here's the pic of the tire that was only flat on the bottom. We pulled off in a Visitor Center just as we crossed the Yukon River Bridge. After we walked around to see things and take pictures, when we returned to the truck....we saw the tire. Funny thing was, a couple of soldiers pulled in after us and discovered they had a flat, too!
This is the wood deck of the Yukon River Bridge. Turns out that a lot of the stone, that they put before you come to the bridge, that they put down last year....was very sharp. They apparently had loads of flat tires last year from the stones. Changed out the tire and got it repaired in Coldfoot for $55.00. THIS is why they tell travelers to take TWO spare tires on rims. June 21, 2008: The North Pole; Summer Solstice
I awoke early at the North Pole VFW and did my blog, get pictures ready for the blog, and began a scrapbook page for the Alaskan Hwy. I took pictures of the sunrise & sunset (2 hours apart. We were not in a big hurry to break camp. It was 73 degrees. We went looking for a Jiffy Lube for an oil changes. We traveled just over 5000 miles since the last oil Pchange just before we left Indiana. Then we found a book store w/ WiFi. Then, on to Pioneer Park for the afternoon. Walked around for several hours enjoying the gold-rush era log homes, and looked in lots of shops. This is a very nice historical place w/ no admission charge (definitely my style), and lots of little shops, restaurants, local art, etc. Relaxing. It was 85 degrees and a dry heat. Headed back to the North Pole and saw a cow moose & calf crossing the highway. Some yahoo in front of us honked at it and scared the calf half out of its wits.
Went to church at St. Nicholas Church in the North Pole. It was a very friendly church. I thought the tabernacle was very unique: a little log cabin. I already posted pics of that. I mentioned to the pastor that the song “Canticle of the Sun” was very appropriate, and that I had only related witches with celebrating the solstice. I smile and told me that there were thousands of witches at Stone Henge this morning and the sun didn’t shine. Smirk, smirk, rotfl.
Then, the steak fry solstice party at the VFW. Lots of friendly fellowship. To bed before the bon fire at midnight; pooped!
Sunday, June 22
We were on the road by 9 am; 67 degrees; blue sky and white clouds. The mosquitoes really started plaguing our lives last night. When were done batting at those pesky critters, t….I think I sahe inside of the camper looked like the Texas chain-saw massacre. And you can bet that most of the blood shed in those little critters was ours!
Sunrise was around 3 am. I think I saw it while fighting the mosquito wars. Sunset will be at 12:48 in Fairbanks; the day will have been 21 hours & 48 minutes long.
We did some grocery shopping for our trip up the Dalton Hwy. to Prudeau Bay. At 2 pm an had lunch than began our trip. It was 70 degrees and storm clouds were in the distance. We were happy to start to some cooler weather. It rained and we pulled off the road to wait it out; there was lots of thunder & lightening. Loved it! The road is paved at this point, but very poor and bumpy; and we’re not even on the Dalton yet! Still on the Elliot Hwy. Finally at 3:30 we turned onto the Dawson Hwy, otherwise known as “The Haul Road”. We stopped at Hess Creek to look for a camp site, but the mosquitoes were horrible so we decided to go on to the Yukon River Crossing.
While taking some pictures of the huge bridge at the Yukon River, etc., we returned to the truck and found we had a flat.
Two soldiers pulled in after us and had a flat, too Turns out that last year they graded the road just before the bridge and the stones were very sharp; gave lots of flat tires, courtesy of Alaska Road Commission.
Drove 61 miles on the Dalton and 142 miles all together on Sunday. We camped at “5 Mile Creek”. This was a camp for men working on the pipeline.
June 23rd: Monday on the Dalton; the Arctic Circle
Woke up to the broad day light at 3:30; on the road by 4:40 am. The road here has a gate that can close it off if the air strip right next to the road has to be used. The air strip is controlled by Alyeska Security. At 7 am we popped the camper and had breakfast at Finger Mtn. Some beautiful panorama pics from here. Then….ta dah!… we crossed the Arctic Circle at 8:30. It was 63 degrees; 66 degrees and 33 minutes latitude. The sun doesn’t set at all at the Arctic Circle on the Summer solstice (as opposed to 2 hrs. or so in Fairbanks). Got to Coldfoot and got the tire repaired; for $55! Like I said before…all is relative; just depends on how bad we wanted a tire fixed.
Then we were back on gravel road. The speed limit for the entire hwy. is 50 mph…but on this washboard gravel, Chris was averaging 30 mph much of the time.
We set up camp at Wiseman; about a mile off of the road, on river. This was a former gold rush camp and has been a thriving little town ever since. Beautiful place. Set up our screen tent. Laid my sun shower bag out in the sun. It’s plenty warm so I get to take a nice warm shower tonight and wash my hair….yippee! I found out that at Deadfoot (near Prudeau Bay) showers cost $10. Can ya believe? It’s all relative to how bad one wants it. Right now I would pay it….tee hee.
June 24: leaving Wiseman.
What an awesome place we were at right on the river. My solar energy shower was worth every cent. Water got plenty warm enough. Sure felt good to have a shampoo!
I figured out that since the sun doesn’t set at all here…what it IS doing is circling in the sky. Sound weird? It is. Nothing I ever expected, that’s for sure. Chris had no luck with his fishing adventure.
We left camp around 10:30 and it was 91 degrees….here above the Arctic circle. Took pictures of the rugged Sakakpok Mtn. There was a water truck spreading water on the road to keep dust down for road workers; just what we needed….more mud!
We’re 196 miles from Deadhorse.
We stopped at the Chandalar “shelf” while crossing the Atigan Pass over the Brooks Range. We met some truckers also at the “shelf”. Watched one of them pull out a little camp stove, put together a pot full of coffee and start brewing it! HAD to go over and talk to the young guy. He said he had enough bad coffee along this “haul” road, that he just had to start brewing his own. We have had the CB on; we know that the highway dept monitors channel 19, as well as police. Only have heard a couple of truckers, and highway construction flag people talking to each other.
At 3 p.m. we pulled off for the night. Traveled 83 bumpy miles; it’s 73 degrees; windy; and beautiful. No mosquitos…they would to be wear grappling hooks to keep from blowing away. We are just past pump #4; on the north slope of the Brooks Range of mountains; on the bank of the Atigun River, by Atigun River Bridge #2. Chris plans on going fishing tonight….perhaps fish for dinner???? No luck fishing. Perhaps better luck tomorrow.
I awoke early at the North Pole VFW and did my blog, get pictures ready for the blog, and began a scrapbook page for the Alaskan Hwy. I took pictures of the sunrise & sunset (2 hours apart. We were not in a big hurry to break camp. It was 73 degrees. We went looking for a Jiffy Lube for an oil changes. We traveled just over 5000 miles since the last oil Pchange just before we left Indiana. Then we found a book store w/ WiFi. Then, on to Pioneer Park for the afternoon. Walked around for several hours enjoying the gold-rush era log homes, and looked in lots of shops. This is a very nice historical place w/ no admission charge (definitely my style), and lots of little shops, restaurants, local art, etc. Relaxing. It was 85 degrees and a dry heat. Headed back to the North Pole and saw a cow moose & calf crossing the highway. Some yahoo in front of us honked at it and scared the calf half out of its wits.
Went to church at St. Nicholas Church in the North Pole. It was a very friendly church. I thought the tabernacle was very unique: a little log cabin. I already posted pics of that. I mentioned to the pastor that the song “Canticle of the Sun” was very appropriate, and that I had only related witches with celebrating the solstice. I smile and told me that there were thousands of witches at Stone Henge this morning and the sun didn’t shine. Smirk, smirk, rotfl.
Then, the steak fry solstice party at the VFW. Lots of friendly fellowship. To bed before the bon fire at midnight; pooped!
Sunday, June 22
We were on the road by 9 am; 67 degrees; blue sky and white clouds. The mosquitoes really started plaguing our lives last night. When were done batting at those pesky critters, t….I think I sahe inside of the camper looked like the Texas chain-saw massacre. And you can bet that most of the blood shed in those little critters was ours!
Sunrise was around 3 am. I think I saw it while fighting the mosquito wars. Sunset will be at 12:48 in Fairbanks; the day will have been 21 hours & 48 minutes long.
We did some grocery shopping for our trip up the Dalton Hwy. to Prudeau Bay. At 2 pm an had lunch than began our trip. It was 70 degrees and storm clouds were in the distance. We were happy to start to some cooler weather. It rained and we pulled off the road to wait it out; there was lots of thunder & lightening. Loved it! The road is paved at this point, but very poor and bumpy; and we’re not even on the Dalton yet! Still on the Elliot Hwy. Finally at 3:30 we turned onto the Dawson Hwy, otherwise known as “The Haul Road”. We stopped at Hess Creek to look for a camp site, but the mosquitoes were horrible so we decided to go on to the Yukon River Crossing.
While taking some pictures of the huge bridge at the Yukon River, etc., we returned to the truck and found we had a flat.
Two soldiers pulled in after us and had a flat, too Turns out that last year they graded the road just before the bridge and the stones were very sharp; gave lots of flat tires, courtesy of Alaska Road Commission.
Drove 61 miles on the Dalton and 142 miles all together on Sunday. We camped at “5 Mile Creek”. This was a camp for men working on the pipeline.
June 23rd: Monday on the Dalton; the Arctic Circle
Woke up to the broad day light at 3:30; on the road by 4:40 am. The road here has a gate that can close it off if the air strip right next to the road has to be used. The air strip is controlled by Alyeska Security. At 7 am we popped the camper and had breakfast at Finger Mtn. Some beautiful panorama pics from here. Then….ta dah!… we crossed the Arctic Circle at 8:30. It was 63 degrees; 66 degrees and 33 minutes latitude. The sun doesn’t set at all at the Arctic Circle on the Summer solstice (as opposed to 2 hrs. or so in Fairbanks). Got to Coldfoot and got the tire repaired; for $55! Like I said before…all is relative; just depends on how bad we wanted a tire fixed.
Then we were back on gravel road. The speed limit for the entire hwy. is 50 mph…but on this washboard gravel, Chris was averaging 30 mph much of the time.
We set up camp at Wiseman; about a mile off of the road, on river. This was a former gold rush camp and has been a thriving little town ever since. Beautiful place. Set up our screen tent. Laid my sun shower bag out in the sun. It’s plenty warm so I get to take a nice warm shower tonight and wash my hair….yippee! I found out that at Deadfoot (near Prudeau Bay) showers cost $10. Can ya believe? It’s all relative to how bad one wants it. Right now I would pay it….tee hee.
June 24: leaving Wiseman.
What an awesome place we were at right on the river. My solar energy shower was worth every cent. Water got plenty warm enough. Sure felt good to have a shampoo!
I figured out that since the sun doesn’t set at all here…what it IS doing is circling in the sky. Sound weird? It is. Nothing I ever expected, that’s for sure. Chris had no luck with his fishing adventure.
We left camp around 10:30 and it was 91 degrees….here above the Arctic circle. Took pictures of the rugged Sakakpok Mtn. There was a water truck spreading water on the road to keep dust down for road workers; just what we needed….more mud!
We’re 196 miles from Deadhorse.
We stopped at the Chandalar “shelf” while crossing the Atigan Pass over the Brooks Range. We met some truckers also at the “shelf”. Watched one of them pull out a little camp stove, put together a pot full of coffee and start brewing it! HAD to go over and talk to the young guy. He said he had enough bad coffee along this “haul” road, that he just had to start brewing his own. We have had the CB on; we know that the highway dept monitors channel 19, as well as police. Only have heard a couple of truckers, and highway construction flag people talking to each other.
At 3 p.m. we pulled off for the night. Traveled 83 bumpy miles; it’s 73 degrees; windy; and beautiful. No mosquitos…they would to be wear grappling hooks to keep from blowing away. We are just past pump #4; on the north slope of the Brooks Range of mountains; on the bank of the Atigun River, by Atigun River Bridge #2. Chris plans on going fishing tonight….perhaps fish for dinner???? No luck fishing. Perhaps better luck tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 25....Leaving Atigun River and arriving in Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay, AK
We're here. Drove around a bit; it's the kind of a town that you really have no clue that you're actually in! Everything is prefab and above ground for the arctic winter. Loads of buildings around and they all seem to be in support of the oil field. Dirt is the only thing here that is free. Very grubby place, but fascinating. We are camped outside of the "hotel", which looks much like an army mess hall to me. It's a series of prefab buildings put together. This is where the showers cost $10, and the rooms with a private bath are $235 per person. But, we were pleasantly surprised that the gas was only $5.40 per gallon. We had heard horror stories of it being much more.
We will be going into the oil fields tomorrow on a tour; that's the only way to get past security; and one has to register 24 hours ahead of time with ID so they can check our clearances. This is the only way to actually get to the Arctic Ocean. I read that you can actually take a Polar Bear dip in the Ocean....not for me! But, I'm not comming all this way and not going to see the ocean and Prudhoe Bay.
We'll be keeping our camper closed up pretty good tonight because everything is dusty; they send out water trucks to spray down the roads, etc. But it is about 60 degrees and very nice, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Enough for now. Will try to get some pics up tomorrow, but I don't think we'll be allowed pictures inside the oil fields....
So, until we "connect" again...
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